Cheteshwar Pujara seemed to have silenced his critics with a superb knock of 91 at Leeds against England as he continues to maintain his solidity at the No.3 position.
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Cheteshwar Pujara is facing a dilemma that some batsmen encounter at every point in their career. It is the situation that, “If he does it, he is damned. If he does not do it, he is damned.” The original blueprint of Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting is simple. Wear the bowlers out and capitalise on the fatigue of the opposition to accumulate big runs. This blueprint has served him well in Australia and South Africa. In England, he has had mixed fortunes but he has not achieved success in New Zealand.
The blueprint has offered him great success in Australia, where Pujara’s contribution has been pivotal in the series wins in 2018 and 2020/21. When India had to dodge a hostile pitch in Johannesburg, it was the efforts of Pujara and Virat Kohli that helped them win. In 2018, Pujara’s contribution in Trent Bridge ensured India at least won one Test in the series which they lost 1-4.
But, in the last couple of years, Pujara’s blueprint has come under criticism. What used to work before is not working now. In Test cricket, such is Pujara’s luck that even his strike rate is called into question. Strike-rate plays a big part in ODIs and T20Is but in Tests, it sometimes creates a proactive situation. The quote of Shubman Gill in that the strike rate is over-rated has simply not held for Pujara, with many fans calling for change.
The problem with the Indian cricket fan is that he/she looks at numbers through a convenient prism. The number of centuries and high average is one of the major criteria through which a batsman’s capabilities are decided. The next filter of brilliance is the home and away contribution, with away contribution further adding to the batsman’s capability. Pujara, unfortunately, is in the middle of the prism. The memory of the Indian fan is short-termed and elephantine, and Pujara is in the other category.
Whenever Pujara has encountered a lean patch, England and County cricket have been very kind to Pujara. In 2014, Pujara was faced with the worst slump in his career. In 10 Tests, he had an average of 24, having failed in New Zealand, England and Australia. It was at that time that Pujara got an opportunity to play for Derbyshire in the English County circuit. The side, which was at Division Two at that time, needed a replacement for Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Pujara played three matches and had limited success, but he finally got the opportunity to overcome the conditions.
From that point, Pujara was successful. He averaged 49 in 2015, 55 and 67 in 2016 and 2017. In the next SENA cycle of 2018, Pujara averaged 38. In 2018, there was another move that might have played a part in his redemption of 2021.
In 2018, Pujara was handed a County deal at Yorkshire, one of the best County sides in England cricket. In tough conditions and against bowlers who master swing bowling, Pujara enjoyed a great run. The County deals for Pujara had helped him overcome the rut in 2015. In this period, the experience of playing a lot more in Leeds was going to serve him in a great way.
When Pujara arrived in Leeds in 2021, there was immense pressure on him. He had been dismissed cheaply in Trent Bridge. At Lord’s, he had stitched a brilliant partnership with Ajinkya Rahane that revived India. The problem at that time was that it was once again not flashy or attractive. It was dour defence, helped by the fact that England’s bowlers did not stick to the plan of getting the Indian batsmen out. The defence of Pujara was all pushed to the background by the partnership between Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah.
In the first innings, Pujara was undone by a brilliant ball from James Anderson that nipped away after swinging back in. But, in the second, with a load of no centuries for close to two years and India staring down the barrel, Pujara decided to play against his blueprint.
For years, following the dour defence blueprint, Pujara decided to play in a different way. His first three scoring shots were boundaries and he was scoring at a brilliant rate. The fact that even Rohit Sharma and Kohli were batting solidly greatly helped Pujara. He was not bogged down. The middle and top-order were batting confidently and that is exactly what Pujara wanted.
In this entire period from January 2020, the Indian middle-order has been shaky. That is the key factor why Pujara has batted in a defensive way without scoring too many runs. Perhaps, the success in Australia was perhaps the way to go forward. But, with the middle order not getting big scores, Pujara had to bat long and grind the bowlers down.
In Leeds, armed with the local knowledge and with the top and middle-order performing, Pujara grew in confidence. Pujara raced along to 91 and Kohli was nearing a fifty. But, the bad luck bogey haunted Pujara on day 4. He fell without adding to his overnight score for the sixth time and India capitulated to an innings loss.
Pujara has perhaps silenced the critics for the time being. But, the loss in Leeds will call for more changes. Unfortunately, the situation might still result in Pujara getting the axe.
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